Can you hear you?

October 14, 2016

“I wanted to make sure you could hear you.”

Colleen Donaghy, played by Elaine Stritch, spits out this line in the “Hiatus” episode of 30 Rock. Let me set the scene… She’s at dinner with Jack and his fiancee, Phoebe. Phoebe says that she wants to get married in the spring as the petunias start to bloom. Colleen asks what she said and Phoebe repeats herself. Again, Colleen says, “What?” and Phoebe turns to Jack and asks if she’s hard of hearing.

That’s when this line comes out: “No, no, no. I can hear you. I just wanted to make sure you could hear you.”

Brilliant. How many times do we speak without really hearing what we’re saying? We’ve all been there. We think what we say is the funniest, most intelligent, most supportive, most whatever thing we’ve ever said…and it’s hot garbage.

This is your reminder to listen more than you speak, ask questions, and make sure you can hear you.

(And if you’re interested, here’s a Google search for the episode. Find a YouTube video that looks good and go to town.)